Earlier this week we noticed that the lake water had a bright green color. We also noticed copper-colored rings on shoreline rocks. (See attached photos). Photos were sent to Lakeland Biologists and they concluded that this MAY be a Blue-Green algae bloom. This is a significant concern as blue-green algae are cyanobacteria, which can cause illness in humans and animals. So, we collected water samples and sent them out for laboratory analysis to determine if this is blue-green algae. We will not get the results until early next week. In the meantime, we must assume it is blue-green algae and act accordingly. So, for now, we recommend that you or your pets not swim or drink from the lake. We will send out further communication as soon as we get the test results. If the tests come back negative (no blue-green algae) all will go back to normal. If they come back positive, we would continue the swimming ban until we can no longer see the green color in the lake. Below is a link to information from the Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services on Blue-Green Algae. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/water/bg-algae/defined.htm |